How to create Home Assistant Dashboards

This step-by-step tutorial follows on from the Home Assistant Installation Tutorial and uses the example SinoTimes DDS6619 smart meter to illustrate the concepts.

Step 1: Create a Clean Dashboard View

1. Open your Home Assistant frontend, click Settings \(\rightarrow \) Dashboards.
2. Click Add Dashboard at the bottom right, choose New Dashboard from Scratch, name it (e.g., Smart Meter), and click Create.
3. Open your new dashboard, click the pencil icon in the top right, and click Edit Dashboard.
4. Click Start with an empty dashboard if prompted.

Step 2: Build the Real-Time Gauges (Volts, Watts, Amps)

Instead of typing code, you will use the visual Gauge Card:

1. Click Add Card (or the blue + button).
2. Scroll down or search the list and click on the Gauge card.
3. In the visual settings editor that pops up:
   • Entity: Search for your DDS6619 Voltage sensor.
   • Name: Change it to Grid Voltage.
   • Minimum / Maximum: Set them to 210 and 260 (to track typical grid ranges).
   • Check the box for Define needle if you want an active pointer.
   • Click Severity at the bottom to visually flag bad voltage: set Green to 230, Yellow to 244, and Red to 253.
4. Click Save.
5. Repeat this process for Watts (Active Power, min 0 / max 22000) and Amps (Current Load, min 0 / m

Step 3: Build the Historical Trends (Volts, Watts, Amps)

To trace grid stability over a 24-hour window, use the visual History Graph Card:

1. Click Add Card and select the History Graph card.
2. In the configuration window:
   • Title: Type Voltage Stability (24h).
   • Hours to show: Type 24.
   • Entities: Click the drop-down menu and choose your DDS6619 Voltage sensor.
3. Click Save.
4. Create another History Graph card right below it for consumption trends:
   • Title: Type Power Consumption Profile.
   • Entities: Add both your DDS6619 Active Power (Watts) and DDS6619 Current (Amps) sensors to the same card so they render on a shared timeline.
5. Click Save.

Step 4: Group the Static States (PF & Cumulative Energy)

For data that doesn’t change rapidly, a clean, compact list is the most user-friendly layout. Use the Entities Card:

1. Click Add Card and select the Entities card.
2. In the visual editor:
   • Title: Type System Efficiency & Totals.
   • Clear any default entities Home Assistant pre-filled for you.
   • In the Entities list, add:
     1. DDS6619 Power factor
     2. DDS6619 Frequency
     3. DDS6619 Total active power (your cumulative lifetime energy sensor)
3. Click Save.

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Step 5: Arrange and Finish

You can now freely click and hold the arrows icon on the corner of any card to drag, drop, and rearrange them into columns or rows that fit your layout. When you are happy with the arrangement, click Done in the top right corner.